STAMFORD, Conn., July 27, 2017 /3BL Media/ – Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, today announced the organization has received a $1 million donation from Lowe’s to support more than 35 local community service projects in 2017. Since the partnership began in 2012, Lowe’s has contributed more than $6 million and over 1,800 Lowe’s Heroes volunteers to help Keep America Beautiful improve communities. The donation this year will also support Keep America’s Beautiful’s annual Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program.

The 2017 Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners Grant Program engages local volunteers to take action to benefit communities across the country with projects that focus on critical needs. They range from restoring neighborhood parks and planting community and school gardens to leading disaster restoration initiatives and large-scale cleanups. Projects will also support Keep America Beautiful’s focus areas to end littering, improve recycling and beautify communities.

“Lowe’s has been empowering our national network of affiliates with significant Lowe’s Community Partners Grants for years, helping Keep America Beautiful turn public spaces into beautiful places,” said Helen Lowman, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green and beautiful community, and Lowe’s is taking responsibility to contribute to our vision.”

One critical need will be addressed by Lowe’s Heroes and volunteers from Keep Genesee County Beautiful in September. After the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, doctors advised all children follow lead-fighting health guidelines, including during exercise and play. Many areas of Flint do not have safe, useable parks for children to play. Keep Genesee County Beautiful and the Lowe’s Heroes will build a large playground in an existing park to provide both physical and behavioral benefits for children and their families.

Another project in Phoenix will help Keep Phoenix Beautiful develop a new community garden. New garden beds will be built as well as an outdoor classroom for children, stations for composting and aquaponics, and native health and xeriscaping demonstration gardens. The garden will be located where two abandoned houses, once a magnet for drug and transient activity, were torn down.

Since 2011, Lowe’s has supported Keep America Beautiful and its network of more than 600 state and community-based affiliates with more than $6 million in contributions and the hands-on support of Lowe’s Heroes volunteers. Lowe’s and Keep America Beautiful have mobilized nearly 54,000 community volunteers since the partnership began. The partnership between Lowe’s and Keep America Beautiful has:

Engaged thousands of community volunteers, aided by the passion and expertise of more than 1,830 Lowe’s Heroes;

Supported the collection of more than 99.24 million pounds of litter and debris for proper disposal;

Planted 3.1 million flowers and bulbs, and nearly 101,000 trees;

Funded the establishment and maintenance of 2,135 community gardens; and

Built and restored 3,137 playgrounds and recreational areas.

“Our Lowe’s Heroes volunteers are ready to roll up their sleeves to help make our communities better places to live,” said James Frison, Lowe’s director of community relations. “By working with Keep America Beautiful to address critical needs, we’re demonstrating our commitment to protecting the environment and improving the health of our communities.”

About Lowe’s in the CommunityLowe’s, a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company, has a 60-year legacy of supporting the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. In the past decade, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together have contributed nearly $300 million to these efforts, and for more than two decades Lowe’s Heroes volunteers have donated their time to make our communities better places to live. For the latest news, visit Newsroom.Lowes.com or follow @LowesMedia on Twitter.

About Keep America BeautifulKeep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, we strive to End Littering, Improve Recycling and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision.

Behavior change – steeped in education, research and behavioral science – is the cornerstone of Keep America Beautiful. We empower generations of community stewards with volunteer programs, hands-on experiences, curricula, practical advice and other resources to deliver measurable environmental, economic and social benefits. The organization is driven by more than 600 state and local affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities and government officials. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.​